The Mistress of Fire, The King of Nightmares
by aorinappollo
Summary: BW, LAC, and BRG AU. White Moon and Black Star are two dueling companies that fight over the rare cards called "Numbers". Their war has caused Heartland City to crumble and lose hope. Enter the fire duelist, Rinko of the White Moon, as she finds out about her supposedly dead sibling, locating her friends' missing families, and gathering numbers. Accepting OCs!
1. Chapter 1: White Moon, Calm and Quiet

**Me: This is an AU of "Black and White" and "Barian Rebel Group/Little Astral Child". I'm planning on re-writing "Little Astral Child" with some stuff from BRG, meaning, they'll be the same fanfic. Of course, baby Astral will make an appearance too, along with the BRG!**

**Rinko: Back to the point, this is a fanfic, centered around me and my brother, Ethan. The characters, plus relationships, are from BW, but some of the characters are from BRG and "Execution", such as Miharu or Hokai. Basically, all of Ao's OCs from different AUs, mixed up together, to make another AU.**

**Mishka: This AU has dueling, too! Ao's been practicing how to type duel scenes, and.. er, they're decent, I guess. Anyway! In this AU, everything from the canon Zexal still exists! Except Barian World, and Astral World..but some duelists here have rare powers, plus numbers, and stuff like that.**

**Ethan: This has to be the most confusing thing we have ever explained.. We do not own Zexal, or any of it's characters and cards. Some characters are Ao's, though. This is practically based off a weird idea Ao had.**

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><p>It was another destructive and quite noisy day at Heartland City, the city of destruction and death. There wasn't a peaceful day that had passed in the city, and it would be a miracle if there was. The place was covered with walls, and secured by a thousand guards, so nobody could escape the polluted city. There had to be a hundred people always being sent to the hospital daily, because of how filthy the city was. Heck, even the doctors and nurses don't mind not being payed anymore, as long as it meant surviving with the rest of the innocent people at the city.<p>

The city had two dueling companies. Both of them were always fighting with each other, competing who was better. They were obviously fighting for rare cards called "numbers". They were cards that were rumored to give whoever collected all of them enormous power, and that was why those two companies always battled to the death for them.

The first company's name is "White Moon". The boss of the stated dueling company is Eliphas Origin, a stuck-up, serious, and "grumpy" man. He always appeared to wear his golden armor. As stated, he was very serious, and was obsessed with perfection. Most of his soldiers have become as stoic as he is, but some remained the same. He couldn't care less, as long as his soldiers were collecting the numbers, and defeating the rival company.

The other company's name is "Black Star". The boss is Don Thousand, a threatening, insane, but laid-back man. He never takes anything too seriously, unless it involved the numbers. His main attire consisted of everything black and red, and unlike Eliphas, showed much more emotions. Most of his soldiers have acted a lot like him, and started by always mocking the "weak ones". Like Eliphas, he didn't care in the slightest.

Both companies had been fighting for years now, and they were betting their soldiers, plus the innocent people, for the power of the numbers. No one had dared to step foot inside the destructive city, and no one had even attempted to escape.

The city was locked, and the people had lost hope of the city being peaceful, clean, and quiet.

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><p><strong>-White Moon, Floor 12: Dormitory Section D-<strong>

Most of the soldiers had just finished training, so they were doing their own business. Others were just making plans, others were fixing their deck, and others were simply doing their hobbies. And not a single person was relaxing, as it seemed.

Three teens made their way across the busy floor. All at same age, they were close with each other, even though their were a couple more teens their age. One of them was quiet, and was simply following his two friends, one was annoyed at the noisy buzzing of the people, and one was just happy. Happy to have a little break from their number hunting.

"C'mon guys!" The happy teen grinned. "It's break time! We could visit Kotori in the medical station, or hand out with Alit at the training room! Stop being so serious all the time guys!"

The other teens stared at the happy teen. The quiet teen nodded slowly, shyly smiling. "Y-yes.. Yuma's right, Rinko.. maybe we could be a bit laid-back? If we don't, exhaustion might be the cause of our deaths, right?"

The annoyed teen, Rinko, huffed. "Am I literally the only one here who remembers our break time only lasts for ten minutes? That's not enough time to do your damn business in the toilet! The only thing we can do at break time is eat a cracker, take a sip of a bottle of water, and stare at your cards for the remaining time!"

Yuma wasn't shocked by Rinko who had just snapped. Rinko was quite the short-tempered one, but he had gotten used to it. Rinko was probably like that due to the abuse and taunts she received as a child.. "Rinko, don't be too cranky! You're gonna make Kotori and Astral worried! Look at the poor guy! He's probably scared right now!"

Rinko had turned to see their quiet friend, Astral, shivering. Unlike Yuma, he wasn't used to seeing Rinko throw too many tantrums and yell a lot of curses. He was probably the only soldier here who was easily scared. Rinko felt a bit guilty for scaring the youngest teen in the group, so she sighed, and mumbled an apology for her outburst.

Astral faked a smile, hopeful to make Rinko ease her guilt. "N-No worries! B-Break time is almost over, so let's continue our chat on the elevator, shall we? S-Sir Eliphas doesn't like it when soldiers are late, after all.."

As Astral pretended to happily make his way to the elevator, both Yuma and Rinko felt incredibly angry with their boss, Eliphas, right now. The three teens, plus Kotori, Alit, and their missing friend, were the best of friends, before the numbers appeared. When those cursed cards appeared, their freedom and happiness were taken away from them.

During that time, when people that were sensed as "decent enough to gather numbers" duelists, they were kidnapped from their friends and family, for the sole purpose of collecting the numbers.

Yuma was taken away from his happy family. He had heard his mother became very depressed of hearing of her son's capture, and had died. His grandmother was weak at that time too, so she had probably already left.. His father was still alive, and he was helping the innocent people hide and heal. As for his sister.. he didn't know.

Rinko was abused by her parents, and neglected by a couple of her female classmates, for playing a "scary and boyish FIRE deck". She had heard one time while eavesdropping from her parents that she had a sibling, that was separated from them during a boat trip. Her parents were too devastated, and decided to put the blame on her, as her sibling had in fact, sacrificed himself or herself to save her. She didn't know what gender her sibling was, or who they were.. but she was probably happy that the company took her away from her insane parents. But she was angry that the company made her friends, who she considered family, suffer from collecting numbers.

Astral was an orphan, though. His mother had died of giving birth to him, and his father had left him for another family. But Astral had an older brother, who always protected him, and acted like a parent. Unfortunately, when Astral was taken away from his brother, the shock was too much, and he had forgotten everything about him. What's worse was Astral was the weakest one in their group, so he could probably die from any sickness any second.

Kotori wasn't much of a duelist, and was better at aiding her friends after a serious duel. So she was captured, and was positioned as the nurse. She didn't mind, as long as her friends were alive and well. Her father had died during a plane crash, and her mother.. was probably worried sick about her, along with the other innocent people.

Alit was as good as Yuma, but he was put in the training department, and was positioned to train duelists. He didn't mind his job, because he got to make sure his friends, plus the other soldiers, were safe enough to be sent to a number war. He had a big crush on Kotori, and was flirty with every girl he met, minus Rinko.

Their other friend, who wasn't with them at the moment, was named Vector Shingestsu, nicknamed as "Rei". He was bipolar, because he was torn by his parent's decisions of raising him. His father had wanted him to be rough, rude, and "manly", but his mother had wanted him to be gentle, polite, and "a bit clumsy". So, he decided to make another self, for the sake of his parent's wishes. He was currently missing, and the friends didn't know if he was at the other company, or with the innocent people.

Rinko and Yuma had made their way to the elevator with Astral leading the way. Before they went in, they found two of their older friends, Taimi and Haruki, chatting.

Taimi was a mature girl, by the age of seventeen. She had a little brother, who she knew was at the other company. She and her brother were raised outside the city, before they aged by ten. That explained why they were both ninja-like in so many ways. Taimi was quite playful, seductive, and bit of a pervert, but she acted like a good big sister to Astral, as she was very close to his brother. Too close that people often mistook Astral's brother and Taimi as a couple!

Haruki was a mysterious older boy, who met Rinko at school. He acted like a brother figure to Rinko, and was as polite as Astral. He was nice to everyone, and acted a like a gentleman. Haruki also happened to know Astral's brother and Yuma's sister, so he acted like a sibling to both boys too. As for Alit and Vector, he was as playful as them.

"Hello, Taimi-neechan!" Astral greeted happily. "Hello to you too, Haruki-niichan!"

The older teens found Astral's greeting adorable, and they returned a smile. "Hello, Astral-kun!"

Haruki then turned to Rinko and Yuma. "Hello to you too, Yuma-kun, Rinko-chan."

"Yo." Was all Rinko replied, her arms crossed. "Same to you too, Taimi."

"What's up, guys!" Yuma happily greeted. "It's good to see you guys are doing well!"

The group occupied themselves by talking inside the elevator, waiting for them to be dropped down at the basement. Of course, Yuma was preparing himself for another boring speech made by Eliphas himself.

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><p><strong>Me: That's it for first chapter! Taimi is from BW, while Haruki is from BRGLAC. Both OCs from different AUs are friends, ah-hah!**

**Rinko: Next chapter will present the members of Black Star. Presenting: Dark, Ethan, Akari, Tairo, and Hidenagi. Mentioned: Ryoga, Rio, and Mishka.**

**Review if ya like!**


	2. Chapter 2: Black Star, Paranoid and Loud

**Me: Second chapter's up! I think I was a bit cruel to Rinko and Astral. Imagine; You had a sibling you never knew you had, who died to save your life, but your parents, who loved your older sibling so much, decided to put the blame on you. Now; Imagine your mom died and your father went to another family, with your older sibling the only one taking care of you. But, you were kidnapped, and you can't even remember a single thing about your sibling.**

**Haruki: I will be quite honest, Ao-san. I cannot see the sadness..**

**Taimi: Ah-hah! Hide-kun is a heartless monster! You cruel, heartless, emotionless, gentle-manly, polite monster!**

**Haruki: ...Thank you, I guess? We do not own Zexal in any way possible. Characters belong to their original owners. Please, do enjoy.**

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><p><strong>-Black Star, Floor 1: Lobby-<strong>

Another number hunt had went well for the black haired boy. He managed to get a number from a passerby, who claimed he had no idea it was there. Not just that, be he gained.. quite a bit of information about a "resistance" or "number protection group" from the man he had dueled. Maybe it was worth to report to Rio, who reports to Ryoga, who reports to the boss? Eh. He'd do it after dinner. First, he desperately needed a bath.

He jumped when a voice suddenly spoke up next to him. "Had a rough day, Dark?"

Dark saw his older friend, Akari, standing next to him. He sighed in relief. "You surprised me, Ms. Akari. I thought it was Mishka.. you know how she pops up anywhere at a random time! Usually to me.."

Akari chuckled. Dark was quite a sight for younger women, and that probably explained his group of fangirls. "I think she likes you. Mishka seems to like you a lot, and likes to shove a lot of pastries she steals from the canteen to your face. Then again.." Akari's smile turned into a smirk. "Shikuro-chan might get jealous! After all.. she's close with you and Astral, right? You can't deny that she likes you a ton! Besides, Mishka's a year younger than you, and Taimi's two years older than you.. do you prefer younger or older women?"

Dark blushed uncontrollably. "I-I'm not interested at anyone in the moment!" He denied. But, his softened when he remembered his little brother, Astral. How was he? Was he at White Moon, or was he with the normal people? Hopefully the latter. He'd die if Astral was a duelist at White Moon. Of course, he couldn't deny Astral was strong as a duelist. He had personally trained him, after all. But.. Astral was physically weak. One little playful punch might get him sent to the hospital!

Akari seemed to notice how quiet Dark had become. Maybe she shouldn't have mentioned Astral's name at all. Everyone in the company knew how much Dark loved his little brother. "Shouldn't have said that.. but, who knows.. maybe he's safe with Yuma and the rest! You know how my brother and your brother cling to each other all the time!"

Dark nodded slowly, and went towards the elevator. "Ms. Akari, tell Rio and Ryoga I have something to report to them after dinner, and that I'm really busy at the moment. I'll just take a quick bath, and fix my deck." And maybe he should drop of the number he just got. "Also, can you give this Number card to Rio? You know Ryoga doesn't want any guy too near her.. he'll kill anyone."

"Sure thing. But, I won't be attending the training session with you guys. I'm going to have to help Mishka arrange her deck, and maybe change a few of her cards." Akari said. "But good luck! Then again, you guys are really tough, even when you're just cute little kids."

Dark huffed at that statement, and marched to the elevator, practically ignoring everyone that asked him the most important question; "Why do you look so filthy..?" Well, if the duelist he was fighting was less stubborn, maybe he could have got the number clean, and not covered with mud or even stains of blood right now! Plus, he smelled awful.. Oh yeah. The man he dueled pour vinegar on him, for no apparent reason.

Ugh. He smelled like Taimi's cooking. That woman couldn't even boil water.

Although, he hoped that wherever Astral was, it was either Taimi or Haruki taking care of him. Tairo always told him that Taimi is at the other company, since they were separated when the companies were collecting duelists all around. Seriously, no one would ever want to see something like that happen again. Helicopters flooded the sky, and numerous people in either black or white just scooped up people they deemed "decent". He remembered that it was a school day when that happened, so he wasn't with his brother..

Great. Now he doesn't even know if his brother's at the other company, or simply hiding with the normal people in the outside world. They're gonna have to die collecting numbers in this damn building, which had over ninety-nine floors. And about a hundred soldiers. And maybe had every card imaginable, except for..

_Numbers._

He hated those damn cards so much, he wished he could burn them. They were the reason he and his friends were trapped here. They were the reason they were taken from their family. They were the reason why many innocent people died, at the hands of the company's soldiers. They were the reason..

For everything that had happened to his brother.

Who knows what could have happened to him? Maybe he wielded a number card, and a White Moon or Black Star duelist dueled him for it? What if he surrendered it? Would he be spared? What if he was stubborn, and refused to give up the cursed card? Maybe he dueled? He could have won, but as much as Dark hated to admit it, the soldiers of both companies were tough as hell..

_"Stay positive, Daruku. It's better to trust Tairo's theory of Astral with Taimi at the other company. Taimi is a nice woman, after all.. she'd look out for him, right? And maybe Haruki too! Haruki is really friendly! They'd take care of Astral!"_

"...Daruku-san?"

Dark nearly shrieked once he heard a familiar voice next to him. He noticed that one of his friends, Ethan, was inside the elevator as well. As usual, Ethan was wearing his too-big glasses, had his purple spiky hair combed, and appeared clean and healthy.

Ethan was one of Dark's best friends after all. And he didn't even meet him when they were outside!

Truth to be told, Dark met Ethan in the company, during training session. Ethan was far the most useless duelist around, as others would say. He was very paranoid, scared, and most of all, shy. There must have been something that demanded him to do so, because Dark had literally marched up to him, and demanded that they both train, to make sure Ethan wasn't gonna get thrown out for being a weak duelist.

Ethan was easy to teach, and he got the hang of it in less than an hour. Dark was impressed by his skill, and was surprised when he found out that Ethan played the same attribute as him; A DARK deck. And since Ethan was literally friendless, Dark had somehow made his responsibility to make sure Ethan gets to act like a normal Black Star soldier, minus the mocking for enemies part. Other than that, Ethan literally had no family left, except for his hyperactive cousin, Mishka. He did say that he lost his parents during a little trip, plus, his younger sister. Kinda sad, really.

Tairo, however, was his friend from the outside world. They were close friends, plus, Taimi was really close to Dark and Astral too. Tairo was always positive, like a certain someone, and that was the reason Dark got a bit annoyed at him when they first met. But Tairo was probably always enied that. Being the older sibling, Taimi always denied that. As Taimi was older, she automatically thought that she was more mature than Tairo, her little brother. Tairo used an EARTH deck, while Taimi used a WIND deck. He was good at it too.

Akari was the oldest in Dark's group of friends, with Taimi being the second oldest. She used to be a dueling journalist, until she was captured. She was also a big sister, and was Yuma's sister, which was Astral's best friend. At first, she didn't duel much, since she was being busy with her job as a journalist and all, but she proved to be quite the opponent. She was highly skilled at both the ATK stats and DEF stats of her monsters. Plus, she can quickly swarm her field, and destroy as many cards as possible.

Dark noticed that Ethan followed him to his room. He raised an eyebrow, staring at the purple boy questioningly. "Ethan.. why're you following me to my room? I'm gonna take a bath.. and I don't want anyone taking the wrong idea, ya know!"

Ethan shrugged. "Don't worry. I'll wait outside. I just thought it'd be nice if we walked together to the training room. Tairo and Hidenagi are going together, and you know how I fear Hidenagi.. he's always telling people he'd eat them if they ever badmouth any of us!"

"Uh.. that's not really a bad thing." Dark sighed. "He's protective of all of us, and I don't think that's bad. We are Hidenagi's only friends after all. And don't worry, Hidenagi really doesn't eat people, despite looking like a wolf."

"But still.."

"Just.. stay there, okay? I'm gonna take a bath now, so you better be patient!" Ethan nodded, as Dark ran to his personal room, and rushed to the bathroom. Dark was a bit of a private person, because unlike any of them, Dark never once invited any of them to go inside his room. One would think Dark would be hiding a lot of things teenage boys hide, but those who were close to him actually knew Dark needs privacy.

Because sometimes, the latter would cry and sulk all alone, not wanting anyone to see him in such a pathetic state.

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><p><strong>-Black Star, Floor 34: DuelTurbo Duel Training-**

"Just, try not to fall, 'kay?" Hidenagi told Tairo, who was currently shivering while attempting to ride a duel runner. Of course, it was just a duel runner simulator, but still.. that didn't prevent Tairo from being afraid.

They couldn't blame Tairo, he came from a ninja village! So, he obviously doesn't have any experience riding vehicles such as a motor-bike, or a duel runner. The spider-haired boy kept telling Hidenagi that he didn't need to Turbo duel to be a good duelist, but according to the boss, some of the soldiers from White Moon knew how to Turbo Duel.

So, it was pretty predictable that he ordered everyone to learn and master Turbo Duels. Problem was, Tairo couldn't even ride a duel runner without shivering as if he just came out of the freezer.

"It's basically ridin' a bike. Avoid obstacles along the way, too. I'll teach ya Turbo Duelin' later, but first, ya need to learn how to ride the damn duel runner!" Hidenagi said, annoyed. Tairo, having no choice, agreed.

"F-Fine." He stammered. "But I'm only doing this because we all need to learn how Turbo Duels work! I know the basics, but riding these things is an impossible task!" Tairo complained. Hidenagi sighed, and turned on the simulator.

_**"Race Simulator On. Soldier(s) info required."**_

"Black Star Soldier #8945: Hidenagi Yuki, and Black Star Soldier #2019: Tairo Shikuro." Hidenagi told the machine. "Difficulty's easy, Speed's slow, and.. environment is.. a forest." Hidenagi added. Tairo stared at him with a confused look.

"Why.. a forest?! I'll run over animals!" He shrieked.

Hidenagi facepalmed. "No, you moron! It's just a simulator, so there's no animals or plants or humans! Besides.." He leaned back a little on the computer, as it prepared to start the duel runner. "I picked a forest, so ya'd feel more comfortable."

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><p><strong>Me: Well, that's chapter two!<strong>

**Ethan: Next chapter; White Moon's boss, plus his assistants, study about the numbers, and make a shocking discovery. Meanwhile, Rinko and her.. "pet", notice something wrong with the fellow soldiers.**

**Review if ya like!**


	3. Chapter 3: The God's Power, Numeron

**Me: Third Chapter up! And thanks to ScoundrelCookie for the compliments! I LOVE YOU.**

**Rinko: *Blushes* M-My personality's unique, huh? *Huffs* Hmph! H-How pathetic!**

**Tairo: Although, you have to admit, it was nice of her to compliment you! Stop being such a tsundere to Ao's friends!**

**Rinko: Also, in this story, other than duels, there will also be actual fights with actual weapons, to change things a bit. Weapon names are either from monsters, spells, or equip spells, and attacks are named after spells and traps.**

**Tairo: Enjoy! Also, Ao accepts OCs! Currently, there are three OCs who agreed to join the story!**

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><p><strong>-White Moon, Floor 98: The Assistants' Office-<strong>

A figure of a woman watched the outside world through the window. Smoke, more smoke, a pool of blood, an acid puddle or two, a giant mountain of garbage, people injured, people _dying_.. wow. It was just a normal day for everyone in Heartland city. The people outside had managed to survive a bit, by hunting for edible stuff, and medicine. but it wasn't gonna last long.

She sighed. She had already seen more than a hundred people die from the unhealthy environment from the outside world. But that was the reason the White Moon soldiers were given uniforms that protects them from the poisoned air, and acid puddles outside. Their weapons, who turn to wearable items were also made with a special item to make sure the wielder of the weapon is safe.

"Ena." A voice said. Ena turned around, with her usual worried expression. She was already used to hearing bad news, yet she still kept that expression plastered across her face. The figure had just realized he used Ena's first name, and coughed awkwardly. "I mean..Ms. Asuka, Sir Eliphas wants to have a word with all of us at the moment. You're not busy, I assume?"

Ena shook her head. "Not really, Hokai-kun. What does Eliphas want now? _More _soldiers?"

Hokai gulped, afraid of Ena's change in personality. "N-Not really. It is about the numbers, I think..He and Miharu were studying about numbers, until he started.. um, throwing a tantrum? Miharu and Eika took their time to calm him down, and once he did, he demanded all of his assistants to come to his office. Right now.."

Ena sighed. "Fine! C'mon. We don't want Mr. Grumpy throwing another tantrum. Geez, even Miharu-kun's more mature than that grumpy bear!"

Hokai had to hold a giggle.

Ena Asuka was Eliphas' childhood friend, and most trusted assistant. She was basically a mother figure to all of the soldiers, and often checks on them and their health. It was unknown if she was a duelist or not, but people say that she was the nicest person in the entire building. (Yuma and Rinko beg to differ: to them, the nicest person they ever knew was Astral.) Ena usually just wandered around the building like a ghost, as people claimed. Ena didn't mind or cared, she just wanted to make sure everyone in the damn building was alright.

Hokai was a friend Ena and Eliphas met at high school. Like Ena, everyone doesn't know if he duels or not. He is said to be Eliphas' first friend to actually be a guy, so people often teased Ena and Eliphas are a couple. Heck, even Hokai had to laugh at that. He was one of the five leaders of the White Moon, and is in charge of making sure that the soldiers are not breaking rules around the place. Basically, he's like Ena, except he's seen to whack the soldiers' heads a lot.

The duo stepped inside the elevator, and headed for floor ninety-nine of the White Moon building.

**-Meanwhile, White Moon: Floor 56: Physical Training-**

"I'm surprised that Sir Eliphas canceled today's meeting." Taimi commented, as a katana appeared on her hand. It was gold and silver in color, and had a fuchsia ribbon tied around the handle. "Now, Ragnarok, with your blade of light, we can surely stop the Black Star soldiers from gathering numbers, right? I mean, we collect numbers for one thing we all want.. right? Our freedom.. if Black Star gets all of it, who knows what measures Sir Eliphas would go through to get them all. He might even sacrifice some of us! So, we need to be stronger to defeat Black Star, Ragnarok. You understand?"

The katana, Ragnarok, responded by glowing brightly. Taimi smiled softly, and pointed the katana at Rinko. "Rinko-chan, our physical duel begins now. So, erm.. finish your food and summon your weapon, okay?"

Rinko, who was beside Astral, made a confused look, as she took out the lollipop from her mouth. "This? I can fight even with a lollipop on my mouth, ya know. So, don't hold back."

Astral nervously laughed. "Y-Yes.. but, it might be shoved down your throat during practice! S-So, I think it's best to listen to Taimi-neechan.." Astral nervously said. "O-Of course you should do what you prefer, b-but.. you should use the safest way when practicing!"

"Please stop stuttering too much Astral-kun, it is a bit hard for anyone to understand what you are saying." Haruki sighed, as he pat the light-haired boy's head. "And another thing, you should not fear anyone in this building, because they will never hurt you." Haruki smiled, and all of a sudden, his eyes darkened, and his soft smile turned into a creepy grin. "However, if anyone dares to hurt you, please do not hesitate to tell me or Taimi-san, okay?"

Yuma shivered from Haruki's creepy personality, and sighed. "Haruki, stop creeping everyone out. The only danger we see here is you and Taimi."

Haruki replied with another smile, but this one wasn't so scary as earlier. "Sorry."

"Anyway.." Rinko took the lollipop out of her mouth, and threw it to the nearest trash can. She rolled her uniform's very long sleeves, revealing a blue bracelet with an orange jewel. Rinko took the bracelet off, as it started glowing. "Salamandra, we're doing physical training in order to get stronger to gather numbers. You're up for it, right?"

The bracelet responded, by making the orange jewel glow. Rinko held out the bracelet in front of Taimi with a serious look. "If you are ready Salamandra, then transform into your sword form right now! We can't let the Black Star soldiers beat us! We need to remain strong, you hear me?! So, naturally, we'll train seriously, as if it was a death battle!"

Astral, Haruki, and Yuma watched in amazement as Rinko's blue bracelet transformed into a blue sword. Taimi smiled cheerfully, and held up Ragnarok. "Ah, so you're ready, Rinko-chan? Let's not use to much of our power, as we might have a little mission or two later, 'kay? We know what Sir Eliphas will do to weak soldiers.."

Rinko held out her sword in front of her. "I could care less what they do to me! I'm making sure you're strong, Taimi! Now, Salamandra! Let's attack her with the unforgiving pain from **Hinotama**!"

Fire balls surrounded the younger girl, as she grinned. "Dodge this if ya can, Taimi!"

"Oh, I won't." Taimi smirked. "I'll counter it! Attacks shall be blocked with the powerful **Mirror Force**!" Ragnarok formed a barrier in front of itself and Taimi, as the fire balls bumped into the force field.

The fire balls suddenly went back to the orange haired girl, accidentally messing up her uniform in the process. "Gah! Why you..! Let's see how you like this! An attack that shall avenge the tamer of wild flames, **Backfire**!" Flames suddenly surrounded Rinko, and she pointed her sword at Taimi. "Now, flames! Attack Taimi and Ragnarok!"

Taimi was a bit late to react, and the flames managed to burn a part of her hair. "Eek! Rinko-chan! Not the hair!" She whined. "Waaah! Ragnarok! Avenge my hair, by attacking her with the forever-powerful, **Chtonian Blast**!"

"Rinko-san, watch out!" Astral yelled.

"Gah!"

The attack managed to shove Rinko against the wall, so her head obviously was whacked by the impact. "D-Dammit.. **Fire Darts**! I won't lose easily, Taimi..! Argh..!" Flaming darts formed around Rinko, as she attempted to point her sword at Taimi, who was being a bit worried. "Burn my enemy to ashes!" she yelled before dropping to her knees.

Taimi dodged the flaming darts, and stared at Rinko worriedly. "Ah! Rinko-chan!" Taimi ran to her younger friend, and gasped as she saw a burn mark on her arm. "Oh no! Mirror Force deflected Hinotama back to you, so you used your arm to protect yourself.. I'm sorry! G-Guys, help!"

"Oh no!" Haruki and Yuma exclaimed, as Astral gasped.

Rinko grit her teeth in pain. "I-It's nothing, Taimi! Let's continue trai- ARGH! S-Shit!" Rinko held her head up, and realized.. her head was bleeding from the impact. Taimi started to panic, as Ragnarok turned back to it's original form; a gold and silver ring, with a pink ribbon.

"Rinko!" Yuma ran next to her. "Astral! Call Kotori! She's probably at floor thirty-seven! Haruki, Taimi, we'll carry her to her room at the dorm section!"

Astral nodded, and ran to the elevator. "Y-Yes! Please be careful! R-Rinko-san, don't push yourself, alright?!"

As the youngest boy left, Rinko glared at all of them. "I said I'm fine!" She hissed. "I can't be strong at this rate! We need to train harder to gather numbers, right?! We need to collect the numbers, so we could finally be free! Besides, Yuma, wasn't it you that told me to be less 'scary' during training, since I scare Astral and a few of the soldiers?!"

"Rinko!" Yuma yelled. "That's enough! If you don't accept help, you can end up dying! Just.. relax, alright?" Yuma turned to the older female. "Taimi, it's not your fault, so stop blaming yourself, okay? You two were giving it your all, even when it's just training."

"Yuma is correct." Haruki commented, as he knelt down near Rinko. "Ride on my back. I will carry you to your room. Do not attempt to make unnecessary movements."

"Screw you, and your logic." Rinko stuck her tongue out childishly to the indigo-eyed male. She clutched her arm, and turned away. "I can walk by myself, thank you very much!"

Haruki sighed at how stubborn the little devil was. He turned to Taimi, who was currently wondering how to forcefully bring the younger girl to her room. Suddenly, an idea popped to his head. Maybe there was a way to drag the little devil to her room without forcing her, or tying her up. "Rinko, did you know we hid candies in your room?"

Rinko hesitantly turned to the three. "..I'm listening."

Yuma and Tami had to chuckle at that statement. "Of course we would never give them to you, if you refuse to go in your own room. Plus, do you know what kind of candy they are?"

"..What?"

"Chocolate and milk flavored lollipops. There are about.. twenty of them, in an orange box with bell patterns. They are under your bed, near your pet's bed and other belongings."

In less than five seconds, Rinko dashed to the second elevator, tapping her foot impatiently. "C'mon you guys! I need to heal my injuries, ya know! And I can't leave those darn ants near my candy stash!"

The spider-haired girl and the lobster-haired boy both groaned. Haruki, however, giggled. Always use the candy trick.

**-White Moon, Floor 99: Leader's Office-**

A boy, who seemed to be twelve or less, continued his task of trying to avoid his boss' attacks. His boss had been shooting azure laser beams all day, all because of something he just found out. It was probably about the numbers. Sighing, he held up his own weapon, which was a green dagger. "Aegis.. let us block Sir Eliphas' attacks with our mighty attacks. I shall do, **Chain Burst.**"

The green dagger glowed a bit, as a sphere of energy formed in front of the boy. He held his dagger in front of him, as the sphere grew bigger. "Aegis! Keep blocking! I do not want to be killed right now, without knowing the cause of Sir Eliphas' problem!"

"Doesn't matter in the end." The woman beside him negatively said. "We're all gonna die anyway. It's the way of life, isn't it, Miharu-kun?~"

The boy, Miharu, glared at her. "You really are a negative woman, Eika-san!" Miharu yelled. "But, I cannot lecture you on your negativity at the moment! We shall do our job to make sure our leader is, um.. in a completely-good way, _not acting like a child.._"

Eliphas nearly threw a nearby stool at him, if it weren't for Ena clearing her throat loudly. "Eliphas! For the love of Exodia, stop throwing your tantrums around like a little kid! Miharu, good comment right there! Eika, quit being negative as hell!" Ena had yelled out, causing the three to stop using their weapons to attack and defend each other. Ena, making an annoyed grunt, marched to Eliphas.

Hokai watch as Ena scold her childhood friend. More like a mother, scolding her son. Miharu was obviously tired from protecting himself, so he asked Aegis, which transformed into a green marble, to rest as well. Eika, however, was waltzing around as usual, humming a little tune. Hokai had to wait for awhile to make sure the two didn't kill each other. And by the looks of it, the argument was just getting better.

"Excuse you! I do not act like a child!"

"Says the guy who threw a tantrum! Bleh!" Ena stuck her tongue out like a child, irritating Eliphas more.

"It's numbers-related things! It's important, so it's natural for me to act like this!"

"Then why didn't Miharu-kun act the same way you did, grumpy?!"

"What the?! Stop calling me that, Ena!" It was going to take awhile, before they could stop their bickering. Well, at least Ena was right about Miharu being mature..

After a few minutes, the five leaders were now on the meeting table, practically forgetting about the damage Eliphas had caused. He cleared his throat awkwardly, and motioned Miharu to start a report. Miharu nodded, although he avoided eye contact from their leader. "A-Anyway.. earlier today, before erm.. that little.. accident earlier.."

"We do not want to be reminded of that, Futami-san." Hokai said.

"Y-Yes.. anyway! Me, Sir Eliphas, and Eika-san were researching on numbers, as usual. We have all assumed that numbers have their own minds and a will, until now. However, that is most certainly not the case. Numbers may be able to protect themselves from us, the White Moon, or the Black Star, but those shields are not created by the spirits dwelling on the numbers."

"Then what is?" Asked Ena. "It couldn't be a human creating those, right? Both companies use special energies, scientifically called 'Astrite', in which we store at out technology for number hunting. Those energies, when installed to out number hunting equipment, enable members of both companies to grab numbers."

"Yes, because any human who attempts to grab a number with a bare hand will end up injuring, and even killing, themselves." Eika reminded them. "Although.. it is an exception for a certain human.."

"What are you saying, Akumen-san?" Hokai asked curiously. "An exception? You mean a certain human has made technologies superior to White Moon's or Black Star's?"

"That is not the case.." Eliphas said. "We do not think it's technology, but due to research that our scientists have just found out.. let's say, there is a special energy, which is stored inside a human."

Ena and Hokai became a little more confused. "Huh?"

"What he means to say is," Miharu interrupted. "When the numbers were revealed in our world, they didn't simply hide themselves within any location, and formed barriers to protect themselves. The numbers had emitted a special energy, in which the youngest scientist of White Moon, Michael Arclight III, had translated the mysterious language numbers made, into 'Numeron'. Numeron is a really powerful source of energy, as Mister Arclight had stated. The power itself is said to create and destroy."

"Although, Michael's assistants had also referred it to 'Kami's Power'. I mean, what else could you refer to power that can create and destroy?" Eika added. "Moving on.. Numeron was so strong that, believe it or not, Numbers had _chosen _a bearer of that power! How crazy is that?!"

"Very." Ena added. "So, Numeron is now being held inside a person?"

"Not just a person." Eliphas sighed. "A _child._"

Hokai had just fell of his seat when he heard that statement. "Wait, how?!" He yelled. "For such a powerful source of power to be wielded by a child?! Wasn't it proven by Mr. Arclight himself that, a younger a soul is, the weaker their energy is?!"

"True, true.." Ena muttered. "However. Books had stated that younger people have a purer soul. When a baby is born, they're innocent. If a baby was born to have psychic abilities, such as us, they will have the strongest powers imaginable."

"But Numeron isn't like our powers." Miharu interrupted. "Half of Numeron's power is stored into a little relic in which Mister Arclight had referred to as 'Numeron Code'. The other half, is stored within a human, as we know. Numbers seem to be the key to unlocking the whereabouts of the relic, but if we can get help from the human who bears the Numeron's other half, we may be able to unlock the true power of the numbers."

"And the Numbers were smart enough to not store half of Kami's power inside a careless human. You know how some of our species only desire money and power.. they had decided to store the power inside of a child, who is still innocent and pure." Eika giggled. "Unfortunately, we have no idea who it might be.."

"I have suspicions." Ena announced. "As I am able to sense auras of our soldiers, I think I know a few White Moon soldiers who might possess the strange power."

"Then do tell." Eliphas said, leaning forward. "Who are your suspicions, Ena?"

Ena had snapped her fingers, and a holographic screen appeared. "I have less than a hundred. However, I think I only have about three.."

"Then we'll listen." Hokai said, taking out a notebook and a pen. "Suspicion number one is..?"

Ena had typed on the keyboard, as a soldier's picture and information appeared on the screen. "Member #1192 is my first suspicion. His full name is Astral Orianel Mist, commonly called 'Asu-kun' among his closest friends and nicknamed 'Original' by the dueling trainers. His gender is of course, a male, age is thirteen, which is young enough to be a suspect." Ena said. "Other information about this boy was he was born with heterochromic eyes; one crystal clear white, and one luminous gold. Before his membership of White Moon, he had numerous hospital records, mostly getting high fevers, and even ended up in a coma twice. He has a hard time speaking properly, as he only uttered his first word when he turned four. Up until now, he doesn't know simple words, such as.. swearing words. However, he does know 'big' words a normal teen might not know. He was orphaned along with his older brother, Daruku Orianel Mist, whose whereabouts are unknown. His unknown mother had died giving birth to him, while his father had left the siblings for another family. During his exam here at White Moon, he was proven to be very intelligent, and was even good at dueling. His weapon is an arm-canon in which he named after his cards. His weapon is 'Wave-Motion', an arm-canon in which takes time to load. It's original form is a watch. It's name is from a powerful damage-dealing spell card. He uses a 'Psychic' deck, focusing on increasing his life points, and in synchro summoning. Most members tend to complain about his naivety, clumsiness, and weird speech pattern. Other than this, Astral suffers from a weird mental disorder, which had caused him to forget the majority of his past when he was kidnapped. Overall, his reputation here seems to be quite big. He is also quite a scaredy-cat and a worrywart. His spirit partner is a monster named 'Krebons', in which members of the company refer to as 'annoying crap'. That is all."

"Huh. He seems to be the type of kid that older girls, who mostly like 'cute' boys, would go after." Eika joked. "Hmm.. he sounds as a possible subject. Although, someone as frail-sounding as him doesn't seem to be the type of person you'd give a destructive power to."

"Well, I managed to write a bit of information regarding this boy." Hokai said. "Next suspect?"

Ena had typed another name. "Member #8118 is second. His full name is Haruki Hidien Tenshi, commonly called 'Tenshi-kun' among females. For dueling trainers, they call him 'Angelic Devil'. Like Astral, he's a male, but he's fifteen. I think he's still young enough to be able to wield Numeron." Ena said. "Haruki, before his membership, was born from a loving family. However, he mostly got his mother's genes, and his hair ended up being like a girl's. He looked like this until he turned nine, and he started looking more of a male. His reputation at Heartland Elementary is as big as Astral's reputation here at White Moon. He was famous for his intelligence, looks, and talents. Haruki also had a weird way of speaking, preferring to complete his sentences properly like a knight would. He wouldn't use 'I'm' or 'Shouldn't', but use 'I am' and 'Should not or Shall not'. Haruki is also said to be a gentleman, and is very polite to people. However, he seems to have a protectiveness over Astral, as he was the friend of Astral's older brother. Haruki is an only-child, and seems to be the youngest in all his relatives. Haruki uses a 'Fiend' deck, focusing on summoning as many powerful monsters as possible. His weapon is a pendant, with a picture of his family. His weapon is able to turn into a spear, which he named 'Waboku', a trap card. He and Astral both have unique speech patterns, making them stand out. Haruki, however, suffers from emotional disorders. His spirit partner is the monster 'Barrier Resonator', a creepy monster who seems to giggle at random times. That's all."

"Haruki seems to sound like a scary guy.." Miharu commented. "Kinda like a guy with a yandere-ish personality. But he's still a reasonable suspect."

"And last suspect is..?" Hokai had asked.

Ena typed someone's name, and once again, their picture and information appeared. "Lastly, this is member #9141. Her name is Rinko Pyra Mikoron-Yutora, commonly nicknamed differently. For friends, they call her 'Rin-chan'. For dueling trainers, they call her 'Flame Mistress'. And by members, they call her 'Fiery Fiend'. Her gender is female, and she's thirteen." Ena explained. "As a child, she was abused by her family, who were depressed after the loss of her older sibling, which remains anonymous. Due to this, she spent most of life living with her friend, Kotori Mizuki. She had only a few friends in school of her gender, since she played a deck which were different from theirs. Most girls her age had preferred to use monsters who are elegant or cute, and winning with no damage. However, her cards had focused on effect damage, and had a lot of risks. Most of her cards were deemed scary, too. Rinko is quite boyish, rude, and most of all, violent. Her weapon is a blue sword, whose original form is a bracelet. She named it after an equip spell, and it's name is 'Salamandra'. Rinko uses a 'Fire' deck, which focuses on powerful and easy to summon fire monsters, who can also deplete her opponent's life points. Rinko is also known for her famous 'special rule' during duels. It involves both players starting with 8000 life points, instead of the usual 4000. Rinko has quite a foul mouth and short temper, but is seen to be kind to her friends. Her spirit partner is a small dragon named 'Horus', which can interestingly, can transform into a giant dragon, and an even bigger dragon. It can only say 'kyuu' on it's original form, but it growls and roars on it's evolved forms. That's it."

Eliphas seemed to be speechless. "Uh.. you did say pure soul.. I doubt cursing and being violent could be deemed pure, but okay.. she seems to be the type of girl who'd prefer taking off heads rather than make-up.."

"However." Ena interrupted. "My biggest suspicion is definitely Astral."

"Why?" Asked Miharu and Eika.

"I seemed to have notice this recently. Whenever Astral is in a good mood in the morning, we are able to get a number in the afternoon. But when Astral's in a bad mood, our members usually return injured or empty-handed. It is quite possible that Astral controls Numeron with his emotions." Ena explained. "Astral is really frail, which makes you doubt his abilities as a duelist. However, our trainers have said that Astral is able to manipulate his opponents with his weak and timid appearance and personality. I think that makes Numeron want him as it's host."

"But I also have suspicions for Rinko." Miharu said. "During one of their training sessions, Rinko had managed to burn a vase of flowers, before she can summon Salamandra, her weapon. Trainees like them cannot use their abilities before summoning a weapon, but she had managed to use her power before summoning her weapon. I think that makes her a possible suspect."

"As for Haruki, I never seen him do anything out of the ordinary, so I think he's not a suspect." Eika said. "So, both Astral and Rinko are possible wielders of Numeron."

"Well, that's enough for today." Announced Eliphas. "We shall discuss this matter tomorrow, so take a break, all of you."

They all replied with a salute. "Yes, sir."

**-White Moon, Floor 12, Room #9141: Rinko's Room-**

Haruki was a big fat liar! There wasn't any candy at all! She had been bought straight to her room, and bandaged so much, she couldn't even move! Kotori had told her to stay put, then proceeded to continue her jobs, while Haruki, Taimi, and Yuma resumed training. Astral was tasked to guard her, as they knew Rinko wouldn't dare to attack the most fragile member of their group. As expected, Astral was peeling apples, with his super annoying spirit partner Krebons. If it was a duel, Astral would have used Krebons as Synchro Material. Rinko would have done the same either, if she was using the same deck as Astral's.

Krebons was mean and annoying and a jerk to anyone, except Astral. Astral however, was sweet as candy to anyone, even the annoying Krebons. Meanwhile, Rinko's spirit partner, Horus, was sleeping on her bed. Spirit partners weren't allowed to roam around the building, unless it was very important. Usually, Krebons guards Astral's room, and Horus guards Rinko's.

"Heeheehee! To think your friend would fall for a trick as simple as that! Heehee, what an idiot!" Krebons giggled. Astral made a frown, and gave the plate of sliced apples to Rinko, whose eyes were like knives. Ah, she seemed to be a bit murderous, as usual..

"Krebons, it's not nice to call Rin-san an idiot. She's smart, and she has a sweet tooth. Besides, candy helps her relieve stress." Astral said. "It's not nice to call anyone an idiot, Krebons. Keep that in mind."

Krebons gulped. He probably took it as a threat, which was stupid. Astral never threatened anyone. "Y-Yes, master. I apologize!" Krebons bowed. Astral giggled a bit.

"No harm done.. other than irritating Rin-san." Astral said, before turning to Rinko. "How are the apples? Ena-san got outside, and purified an apple tree. I hope they're safe to eat."

"Of course they are." Rinko said, biting the apple. "You did just say Ena purified the tree, right? Then the fruit is obviously clean." Rinko said, as she chewed the apple. It was clean, so it was safe to eat. She handed the plate to Astral, who looked at her questioningly. "Eat. You haven't ate any snacks."

Astral took on of the apples and ate it. "It tastes really sweet! Ena-san is lucky to have the ability to purify people and plants, huh?" Astral said, with a mouthful. He gave one apple to Krebons, who munched on it slowly.

"Mhm. Purifying is a rare power, as I've heard." Rinko added. "Then again, it wouldn't be surprising that one of the leaders of the company have powers like that."

Rinko stopped once something started beeping. She looked at her uniform, which had the White Moon's crest embedded onto it. The crescent moon was beeping and blinking rapidly. She frowned. It meant that she had to go to the Leader's office immediately.

**_"R-Rinko Y-Yutora.. A-Astral M-Mist.."_** The crescent moon had said. It was some sort of phone that they use. And by the voice, it was the youngest leader, Miharu Futami. **_"R-Report to the office with your spi-spirit partners! N-Now!"_****_  
><em>**

As the message ended, Rinko and Astral stared at each other in confusion. "What was that all about?"

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><p><strong>Me: LOL the preview was lying. BUT IT'S FIVE THOUSAND WORDS SO FORGIVE MEH. I STILL HAVE REQUESTS FROM BOTH DARKINSANITYSOUL AND THESCOUNDRELCOOKIE.<strong>

**Rinko: Known weapons as of now, appeared or mentioned: Ragnarok, Katana-transforming ring, Salamandra, Sword-transforming bracelet, Aegis, Dagger-transforming marble, and Wave-Motion, Canon-transforming watch.**

**Tairo: Next chapter; Rinko and Astral duel! With Rinko's special rule applied, too!**

**Review if ya like!**


	4. Chapter 4: Rinko Vs Astral

**Me: Good news! OCs for the White Moon, Sei and Selena Arclight, are gonna appear in this chapter. And so are Lunar (Luna) and Siri, by DarkInsanitySoul and Dragonwolf416. Because of this, "Sei Jen", the canon Zexal girl who likes Astral in BW, will be renamed as "Seika Jen" in this story.**

**Rinko: Well, that's a lot. And aren't me and Astral gonna duel in this chapter? Astral's deck is a "Psychic" one, but he has a lot of made-up cards that will appear in future chapters, plus that annoying Krebons in his deck. Mine? You'll see... and yes, my second name is "Pyra" and Ethan's is "Ceres". Just.. don't ask. My parents were drunk when they named us, probably.**

**Tairo: ..I have to admit, Lunar-chan and Siri-san are pretty. But of course, prettiness is determined by men of Black Star, who think my nee-chan is the "pinnacle of pretty". Pfft. Lunar-chan and Siri-chan are prettier than my nee-chan! (Even if she does have.. a big.. bust.)**

**Rinko: *Grabs collar* Don't attempt to date any of them, since romance is not the focus of this story right now. It's about uncontrolled powers, death, amnesia, mind-control, betrayal and anything you don't wanna see in a romance fic.. Enjoy.**

**Quick note: In this fanfic/AU, Astral is a meek, weak, and cowardly child. He's practically Yuma's Kattobingu-less self. This is the reason he can't defend himself well when Rinko's dueling him: He's easily scared of her monsters. **

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><p><strong>-Black Star, Floor 56: Dueling Training-<strong>

"Those two sure are taking their time." Commented Dark, as he ran his fingers over his still-wet hair. It was a good thing that he didn't smell like blood and vinegar anymore, and only smelled like what Ethan would call, "suffocating perfumes". Ah, but it was better than smelling like someone's intestines popped out of their body.. well that was just gross. "I hope Tairo does good in Turbo Dueling practice. That guy sucks at even riding a bike."

"Well, ninjas tend to travel with only their feet, so I think it's not surprising he cannot ride a bike or anything similar." Ethan chuckled. "Although, it would be hilarious if Tairo and his older sister did go here to Heartland with only their feet."

As both of them laughed at Ethan's joke, an ear-piercing screech echoed throughout the room. It sounded somewhat familiar, and was accompanied by laughter that sounded it was from an animal.. it was, indeed, from an animal. The animal was quite smug, and he was laughing victoriously, as if he had managed to kill another animal for dinner.

Hidenagi was a person raised by wolves, so.. yeah. He was practically, an animal. "Ahahahaha! Ya couldn't keep still on the duel runner, ya freakin' spider! Ya failed more than I can count, I lost track! Ahahaha!"

Tairo was beside the laughing wolf-boy, and he was blushing with humiliation. "Y-yeah.. just don't announce it, I know how much I failed.. but I can make up for it by dueling!" Tairo said, taking out his black d-gazer. It had yellow lens, and was a bit square in appearance. "I-I'll show you! I'm good at actual dueling!" declared Tairo, as he ran towards Dark and Ethan, who were probably pretending as if they didn't know who the loud-mouths were.

"Keep your voice down, seriously." scolded Dark. "We'll get in trouble if you two keep yelling like that."

"B-But it was Hidenagi's fault!" He cried like a kindergarten student. "He made fun of me, just because I fell of the duel runner during our turbo duel!" Tairo whined. "I had no idea how speed spells worked! Gah! They were so confusing! How do speed counters work, anyway?!"

As Tairo whined loudly, accompanied by Hidenagi's loud laughter, two girls who were watching the others duel, marched up to them with a bit of annoyance. Again, Dark and Ethan pretended they did not know who Tairo and Hidenagi were. The older-looking girl look slightly irritated, while the younger girl appeared shy. Most likely, the younger was trying to stop the older from scolding them as if they were her own children.

"Excuse me." Ah, she sounded as old as Taimi.. maybe younger? "But you seem to have caused a bit of a private noise-party here. I don't think it would kill to be quiet, hm?" She said. "Lunar-chan here seemed to be a bit irritated too."

The younger girl turned to her friend, her face full of shock. "W-Wait! I never said anything, Siri-san!"

Ethan seemed to have gotten the hint that Tairo and Hidenagi were making a scene earlier. "We're sorry, girls. We won't cause too much of a ruckus again." He said apologetically. Lunar was relieved by the fact that she didn't offend anyone, and neither did Siri, who finally relaxed a bit around them. Probably due to Ethan's calmness.

"Well, since you apologized politely, we won't have too much of a trouble now, would we?" Siri grinned. "Nice to meet you! I'm Siri Elder, a sixteen-year old number hunter here in Black Star. This little lady right here is.." Siri pulled Lunar's arm, who flinched. "Is Luna. She's a thirteen-year old number hunter like me, but.. she doesn't have a last name, considering she was adopted by the boss when he made the company. She kinda has amnesia."

Lunar shyly waved her hand. "Er, um.. nice to meet you.. sorry if me and Siri-san angered you guys by.. ya know, scolding.."

Dark shook his head. "It's fine. Both Tairo and Hidenagi need a bit of a parental figure around to scold them for being loud. And you didn't do anything bad, so I don't care." Dark said boredly. He realized Ethan's hand was outstretched towards the girls.

"I'm Ethan Ceres Yutora-Mikoron! Currently, I'm fourteen years old. Nice to meet you!" He said eagerly. Siri shook his hand, while Lunar shyly shook it. "This guy next to me is Daruku Orianel Mist, my dueling-teacher and room-neighbor. He's a year older than me."

Dark only nodded, before leaving the group to prepare his deck. Ethan then grabbed Tairo's arm, but refused to grab Hidenagi's, fearing that the latter would bite his arm off. "This is Tairo Shikuro. He's the same age as Dark. And the guy that looks like a wolf is Hidenagi Garu Yuki. They didn't mean to start annoying noises, right guys?"

Both only mindlessly nodded, and were currently still laughing/crying over the turbo duel incident in their minds. Siri made a huff noise, while Lunar remained silent.

"Nice to meet you. Well, it was fun talking, but me and Lunar gotta go now. See ya guys around, hope we can chat again!" Siri said with a smile, before dragging the white-haired girl with her. As they walked towards the elevator, Siri commented about the group of rowdy boys. "They're interesting, aren't they? One of them has mismatched eyes, like you, one of them looks like a wolf, and has a bit of a problem speaking properly, one of them is a ninja, and looks like a spider, and the last one.. has a rather unique name. Two last names, though.."

"I wonder why. Maybe his parents never got along that much, so he used their last names?" Lunar asked. "But you're right. They're an interesting bunch. Although.." Suddenly, Lunar flushed and sighed dreamily. "Although, the rude one, despite his said personality, is quite cute, but I wonder why he seemed so sad.."

Siri stopped in her tracks to grin mischievously. "Ohhhhhhhhhh. So you like that 'Daruku' guy, huh? I didn't know you go for men like those, Lunar-chan! Your tastes in men are quite different than I imagined!~"

"E-Eh?! N-No! Siri-san!"

"Man, they're the one makin' a ruckus now." Hidenagi told Tairo, who was watching Siri tease Lunar as they headed towards the elevator. They didn't know the reason, but ah, who cares?

Meanwhile, Ethan was helping Dark prepare for dueling training. "Dark-kun, why did you seem.. more upset than usual when you saw Lunar-san and Siri-san? They seemed like nice people!"

Dark grumbled. "It doesn't help, Ethan. It just doesn't."

"What doesn't help?" Asked a confused Ethan. Dark buried his face in his hands.

"That Lunar-girl looks like _him.. _She looks a bit like Astral.. their hair is a light color, both have one white eye, and they're both pale. Other than that, the shy personality was also like Astral's.. I feel like this place is tormenting my emotions."

Ethan frowned. "Probably just a coincidence, Dark-kun. In the mean time, why don't we take our minds off it with a friendly duel?"

"You're right.. the fact that she looks and acts like him is probably just a coincidence."

**-Later, White Moon, Floor 97: Stadium-**

Rinko and Astral, along with their duel spirits, made their way towards the five leaders, who were standing side by side. Astral was nervous. He had only seen Ena, and maybe even talked with her a few times, and only saw Eliphas during meetings. The other three were staring at them, since they didn't know who they actually were. They heard Miharu's child-like voice, but they never expected him to be so young! And the other two, Eika and Hokai, were staring at them so intently.

"Don't be shy." Ena said with a smile. Rinko was walking carefully, trying to make sure they weren't going to be ambushed, while Horus kept an eye on the leaders. Krebons was literally guarding Astral by going around in circles, while Astral slowly walked behind the fiery girl.

"May I ask why are we needed?" Rinko politely asked. Usually, Rinko would never show such manners, but no doubt that Astral would be scared to death if Rinko said something rude to the leaders. "And why are our dueling spirits needed as well for this task?"

Eika approached them and quickly poked Krebons, who yelped. "Ah. He seems healthy. How about the dragon?" She then poked Horus on the stomach, causing the little dragon to yelp in surprise before falling on the floor. "They're healthy. And they definitely don't like being touched by people they don't know of yet."

"True that!" Krebons snapped. "Look lady! Don't touch me like that! I'm more fragile than I look!"

Rinko huffed and grabbed the annoying tuner monster, and proceeded to throw him against the wall, resulting on Astral panicking and Eika being a bit impressed. The other leaders, plus Horus, sweatdropped at the girl's violent demeanor and temper.

Astral sniffled. "R-Rinko-san! K-Krebons could be seriously hurt!"

Rinko crossed her arms. "The only thing that hurts duel spirits are White Moon and Black Star weapons, technologies, and them being in a duel. Physical-human attacks, such as that throw I did, won't hurt him. Give him a headache, sure, but not seriously hurt him. So chill." She assured him.

Astral pouted, then stared at his currently dizzy duel spirit. "I-If you say so.."

Eika placed her hands on the young boy's forehead, who flinched and looked at her with fear. "You seem to be experiencing multiple emotions as of now. Fear, mostly." Eika grinned. "You look younger than Miharu-kun, despite being a year older."

Rinko frowned. This woman was creepy beyond creepy. Astral shuddered and ran behind Rinko. "S-She's scaring me.."

Ena went forward and grabbed Eika's arm. "Stop scaring the child, Eika."

"Fine." Eika whined. "Although, the kid himself needs to toughen up a bit. You can't be a good soldier if you keep cowering behind your friends." Eika pointed out. "Brutal truth, kid, but if you keep being soft and refuse to kill, you may end up killing yourself, or one of your friends can get in danger thanks to you."

Astral's elf like ears twitched, before he looked down. True.. he had always been hiding by allowing the others to protect him. Somehow, that made Astral feel weak. Tears threatened to spill again, but he forced himself not to. Eika was right.. he was a coward, and often hid behind his friends for comfort. He could place them in danger.

"As if anything could hurt me." Rinko huffed. "I'm fast enough, and I won't care if one of my friends would hide behind me. I'd protect them. So, I won't care if Astral has to hide behind me for protection. I'll take anything anyone throws at me.. except for lemons that life gives away for free."

"Quite proud of your speed, little girl? And you seem to be tough, too." Eika teased.

Eliphas coughed, causing the two leaders to nod and make way for Eliphas. As he was walking, Hokai and Miharu followed him from behind. "Astral Orianel Mist and Rinko Pyra Mikoron-Yutora, was it? Quite interesting names. It's rare for me to talk to soldiers in private, since Ena here does that most of the time. I shall introduce myself properly, then. I am Eliphas Origin, the leader of White Moon. You know Ena Asuka, the one who regularly checks up on the soldiers."

"Hello, dears." Ena greeted sweetly.

"The woman with curly hair is Eika Akumen. She sometimes checks on duel spirits to make sure they're tame. Kind of like a veterinarian." Eliphas explained, while the curly-haired smiled devilishly. "This boy behind me is Miharu Futami. And, this may be hard to believe.. but despite his young appearance.. Miharu is eighteen years old, as of now."

Astral and Rinko became confused. "No joke?"

Miharu blushed a bit. "I look like I'm twelve, eh? But I'm just the same height as Astral over there.. I'm the one who kinda calls the soldiers and gives them tasks."

"And lastly, this is Hokai Enigma." Eliphas pointed to the man behind him. He wore.. was that a _mask? _"He doesn't want his face to be seen, so Hokai hides it with a mask. He is the one who assists in research about the numbers."

"Pleasure to meet you, children."

Rinko somehow felt relaxed now. Eika and Eliphas made her a bit wary, but Miharu, Ena, and Hokai were nice, as it seemed. Astral seemed to have relaxed too, as he finally went forward, along with Rinko. Krebons, who now had a bump on his head, was still glaring at Eika for poking him, but Horus wasn't hostile anymore. "So." Rinko crossed her arms again. "You did not answer my question earlier. Why were we needed here?"

Eliphas cleared his throat. "While we only called for your spirit partners to see if they were still tamed and healthy, we summoned you two here to check your dueling abilities."

Astral squeaked out something. "I-I beg your pardon? What do you mean by that, sir..?"

Ena smiled softly. Astral was still scared of them, as it seems. Well, Astral had never been near adults much. "We simply want to watch you duel. If it's not too troubling, I suppose?"

"Not at all." Rinko replied. "But, I prefer to start duels with my special rule."

"We heard of that." Hokai said. "Both players start with their life points doubled, am I correct?"

"Y-Yes.. Rinko-san's special rule applies like that.." Astral answered for her. "S-So.. we were only asked to duel..? N-Nothing to lose, right?"

"Nothing at all." Miharu replied. "Although, I suggest that both of you take it easy. Rinko has injuries from earlier training, and Astral.. you have a lot of hospital records, and we certainly don't want to add anything."

"Fine." Both teens replied.

_~Seconds later~_

Astral was on the other side of the arena, his left sleeve rolled up to make room for his duel disk. Rinko did the same, although she exposed some of her bandages. The leaders were watching on the other side, as the spirit partners were beside their masters.

"D-Gazer, set."

Rinko took out her D-gazer, a flame-shaped one colored with orange and yellow, like her hair. Astral, however, held his hand to his right eye, making the gold eye shine a bit more.

_"So.. Astral's gold eye is a d-gazer.. I wonder where he got it?" _Thought Ena. "Ngh.. this supports my suspicion of Astral being the wielder of Numeron.." she whispered to herself.

"Duel disk set."

Astral's arm started glowing, until a weird looking duel disk, colored in blue, appeared. It looked sharp enough to poke someone's eye out, Miharu noticed. Rinko's duel disk was shaped like a flame, but it's color was orange and black. Both duelists stood in a fight-like position, before shouting.

"Duel!"

_**Turn 1**_

_Rinko, LP- 8000, __Hand- 5_

_Astral, LP- 8000, __Hand- 5_

"I'll go first, draw!" Rinko announced. "I activate the spell card, Burning Land. Both players take 500 damage during their respective standby phases. I set one monster face down, along with two cards. Turn end!"

**_Turn 2_**

_Rinko, LP- 8000, Hand- 2_

_Astral, LP- 8000, Hand- 5_

"My t-turn.. draw!" Suddenly, a fire ball appeared and hit Astral straight in the face. "Gwah!"

_Astral, LP- 7500, Hand- 6_

"Geh.. I summon Telekinetic Shocker.."

**_Telekinetic Shocker, LV 4, ATK- 1700, DEF- 700_**

"I use Telekinetic Shocker to a-attack your face down monster..!" Rinko's monster flipped face up, showing a metallic green turtle.

**_UFO Turtle, LV 4, ATK- 1400, DEF- 1200_**

As the turtle got sent to the graveyard, Rinko activated one of her face down cards. "Continuous trap, activate! Backfire! Whenever a FIRE monster is sent to the graveyard, my opponent takes 500 damage!"

_Astral, LP- 7000, Hand- 5_

"I then activate UFO Turtle's effect!" Rinko announced. "When this card is destroyed by battle, I get to special summon one FIRE monster with 1500 or less ATK from my deck in attack position! I choose.. Magna Drago!"

_**Magna Drago, LV 2, ATK- 1400, DEF- 600**_

"I s-set one card face down. Turn end..!"

**_Turn 3_**

_Rinko, LP- 8000, Hand- 2_

_Astral, LP- 7000, Hand- 4_

"My turn, draw!" Like the same case with Astral, a fire ball hit Rinko straight in the face. "Gwah! My cards are really risky.."

_Rinko, LP- 7500, Hand- 3_

"I special summon Inferno in defense position, by removing one monster in the graveyard from play."

**_Inferno, LV 4, ATK- 1100, DEF- 1900_**

"I now synchro summon with Magna Drago and Inferno! Synchro summon.. Flamvell Uruquizas!"

_**Flamvell Uruquizas, LV 6, ATK-2100, DEF- 400**_

"T-Trap activate! Threatening Roar! Y-You cannot attack this turn!" Astral stuttered.

"Hah! Chain! Continuous Trap, activate! Chain Burst! Whenever a trap card is activated, 1000 damage is given to the player who controlled that card!"

"Kyaaaaaaaa!" Astral cried.

_Astral, LP- 6000, Hand- 4_

"Turn end." Said Rinko.

**_Turn 4_**

_Rinko, LP- 7500, Hand- 2_

_Astral, LP- 6000, Hand- 4_

"D-Draw.." Another fireball had hit Astral. "W-Waaaaaaah!"

_Astral, LP- 5500, Hand- 4_

Astral started to sniffle. Rinko made a worried expression. "Hey! Don't cry! I'm sorry if the card hurts you so much, but you do know that my deck focuses on cards that deal effect damage, right?!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Astral sobbed. "I promised myself not t-to cry! I really am sorry, R-Rinko-saaan!"

Ena made a sad face. Astral was too fragile, and that wasn't helping at all. Rinko, and even Flamvell Uruquizas started pitying the younger teen. Rinko was about to forfeit, in order to stop her friend from taking too much damage, until Astral started glowing.

Wait, what? _Glowing?_

"What the..?" Miharu muttered. "What's happening to Astral?! This can't be any normal phenomenon!"

"Interesting." Eika commented. "I guess this means he's the wielder of Numeron, then!"

"The wielder of what?!" Rinko had heard the weird name, and decided to question it. However, the glow got brighter, and soon, all monsters and cards on the field vanished, signifying the game had ended. Astral's duel disk had disappeared, and Rinko put away her dueling gear, and ran to the glowing teen. "Astral! What in the name of Exodia, is going on?!"

_"No MoRe paIn. I wAnT to bE strOngeR. I dONt wanT To HIdE aNYmorE. I doNt waNT To CrY anYMorE."_

Astral sniffled, and the glow suddenly vanished. Once that was done, Astral stared at Rinko with confused, tear-filled eyes. "W-What happened..? Why has the du-duel ended?"

Rinko made another confused look. "Hey, I should be asking that! You glowed all of a sudden! But, are you alright?!" She then looked at the leaders with anger. "And you! What the hell is 'Numeron'?! Who wields it, and what on earth is it?! More importantly, why do you suspect that Astral wields whatever Numeron is?!"

Eika gulped. "So much for keeping it a secret, then.."

**-Meanwhile, White Moon, Floor 1, Lobby-**

"Takashi and the rest are taking a while.." Yuma commented. "I hope those Black Stars didn't hurt them! If they did, I'm gonna pummel 'em! Or.. talk to them in a friendly-manner.."

"I hope so as well, Yuma." Haruki replied. "It is rather worrying that they have not come back yet. I dearly wish they have gotten the number safely, otherwise.. we have lost another member, plus, a couple of our dear friends.."

Taimi was tapping her foot impatiently, her eyes glued to the entrance of the building. She was expecting Takashi and the rest to come back sooner. They were one of their friends after all.

As they were waiting, Haruki noticed two teens, the same age, walking side by side. One was being serious, while one was being a bit care-free. It reminded Haruki of the serious Dark, and carefree Hidenagi. They appeared to look alike, and they were chatting about some topic Haruki couldn't understand.

"Sis, we should visit uncle Michael. He's been working too much lately, so I wanna see if he's made any progress in the research he's been doing." One of the twins suggested. "He worries about us occasionally, so I want to help him as best as I can."

"I know, Selena. But we're busy with number hunting, remember? Once the boss gets some other soldiers to hunt, we'll visit uncle Michael on the lab, okay?" The older of the twins replied. "Ah, we should wait for Takashi-kun and the rest."

Haruki adjusted his uniform's collar quickly, and made his trademark smile. "Hello. It appears you are also acquainted with Todoroki-kun." He smiled brightly.

While one of the twins hid behind her sister as she appeared to be quite meek, the other shook his hand. "Nice to meet you.. I'm Sei Arclight, niece of Michael Arclight, one of the scientists here. Behind me is Selena, my younger twin."

"H-Hello there!" Selena greeted, shyly hiding behind Sei. Haruki made another smile, seeing as the girls were nice.

Suddenly, the alarm started beeping, and all soldiers looked to the screen, where Ena was. She seemed to have a panicked expression. Everyone, including Yuma, Sei, and Selena, stared at the screen, while Haruki and Taimi noticed something unusual behind Ena.

It seemed to be a twelve year old boy, and next to him was.. Rinko? Astral was there too! And so were Horus and Krebons! Taimi was about to say something, when Haruki cut her off. "Shush. I think this is a private matter, Taimi-chan."

"B-But..!" Taimi stuttered. She let out a sigh of defeat. "Fine.."

Ena started flipping the pages of a clipboard, before coughing awkwardly. "Dear soldiers of the White Moon, today, we bring out bad news. Today's number hunting ended in a failure, since the Black Star got the number first. But.. other than that." She made a sad look. "A black-haired soldier from Black Star has murdered our fellow members; Takashi Todoroki, Tetsuo Okeda, and Tokunosuke Omoteura. Our cameras saw them fighting with all their might, but in the end.. they died.."

"What?!" A girl shrieked. The gray-haired catgirl, known as Cathy, teared up. She was one of Yuma's friends, and was really close to Takashi. Taimi felt sad for the heartbroken teenager. "I-It can't be.. Takashi-kun said he wouldn't leave without me, nya!"

"T-Takashi!" Yuma yelled. "Tetsuo.. Tokunosuke..I.. won't forgive those Black Stars! They'll pay!" Yuma yelled, tears falling. "They killed my friends! OUR FRIENDS!"

"Yuma-kun." Taimi said sternly. Although, it was obvious that she was as shocked and angry as Yuma was. "We can't do anything at the moment! So stop yelling at the screen, and listen to what Ena-san has to say!"

"Sacrifices shall not be in vain!" Ena announced. "New hunters will take their place! Members have already been chosen!" Ena then turned around, revealing a still angry and confused Rinko, along with the scared Astral. Yuma's eyebrow raised, and many soldiers were heard whispering. Haruki and Taimi stared at Rinko, who was yelling at the twelve-year-old-looking boy. Astral was trying to calm her down.

"Soldiers Rinko Yutora and Astral Mist are the first two members chosen for daily hunting, chosen by Sir Eliphas himself. Soldiers Sei Arclight and Selena Arclight were chosen by Sir Eliphas, and me, Ena Asuka. These four soldiers shall be on a higher rank of soldiers, sorry 'bout that!"

More whispers were heard, as Haruki turned to the twins. "It seems you two are in a more important task than us. We are back-up soldiers, and you are lucky to be some of the main soldiers."

Sei frowned. Selena was still crying over the death of Takashi and the rest, so Sei tried her best to stay strong. "Still. They already picked members these fast? It's as if they knew Takashi and the rest were going to die! Just a theory, though. And who are those soldiers at the back of Ma'am Ena?"

Haruki crossed his arms. "They are our friends, Astral and Rinko. We do not know why they are with Ena-san, we advised Rinko to stay still at her room. She was injured from today's training."

"Maybe they were called for this reason?" Selena squeaked out. "Then again, if they were, why weren't me and Sei-neechan called too?"

"Who knows." Taimi joined in. "I think I'm going to make Cathy cheer up, along with Yuma-kun and Kotori-chan. See you later, Haru-kun."

As they waved goodbye, Haruki turned to the twins again. "Whatever is the reason, you are working with some of our friends. I wonder why they were chosen though.. Rinko is reckless, and Astral is a bit weak, so there must be a reason they were chosen."

"Whatever is the reason.." Sei then shows her metallic glove. "I can still fight with my powerful gun, Morphtronic."

* * *

><p><strong>Me: Summary of this chapter should be; Astral can glow, Rinko is a rude bastard, Sei and Selena are precious twins, Lunar is a cutie, Siri is the big-sister type, Haruki is kind of a flirt, Takashi dies, Tetsuo dies, Tokunosuke dies, Yuma is angry that his friends are dead, Taimi is trying to act not-sad, and Eika is a creep.<strong>

**Rinko: Lunar belongs to DarkInsanitySoul, Siri belongs to dragonwolf416, and the twins belong to AoLady. Thank you for letting them join the story of "TMOFTKON".**

**Tairo: This chapter focused on the White Moon. Next chapter will feature more Luna and Siri interactions, along with Ethan and Dark.**

**Review if ya like!**


	5. Chapter 5: Miharu's Hidden Intentions

**Me: 'Sup, guys! I changed my pen-name from "aothebluesamurai" to "aorinappollo"!**

**Ethan: We'll be getting new OCs for the story for today's chapter! Right now, it focuses more on Black Star, and the OCs mentioned last chapter, Lunar and Siri, plus two new OCs named Layla and Aristtea. Focuses more on the events of last chapter with White Moon, and focuses on the developing friendship between the two girls and the two DARK users.**

**Tairo: If you noticed, Rinko's attacks when physically fighting are based off FIRE-related cards, or cards that deal effect damage, like her deck. She lacks defense magic, unlike Astral who lacks attack magic.**

**Taimi: Also, Aorin-chan has successfully made.. 28 Zexal Characters!~**

**Rinko: We don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal. Zexal belongs to Konami. Sei, Selena, Lunar, Siri, Layla, and Aristtea belong to their respective authors. Me, Ethan, Tairo, Taimi, Haruki, Hidenagi, Mishka, Eika, Hokai and Miharu belong to Ao! Enjoy the story!**

**Quick note; Due to Rinko's boyish nature, most characters tend to use the suffix '-kun' instead of the usual '-chan', which is usually associated with girls or anything "cute". Since the suffix '-kun' is more masculine, some characters who aren't close to Rinko tend to call her 'Rin-kun' or 'Yutora-kun'.**

* * *

><p><strong>-White Moon, Floor 98: The Assistants' Office-<strong>

"I'll explain whatever Numeron is later, Yutora-kun! So please, calm down, we're not trying to hurt you or Astral!" Miharu assured the thrashing fiery girl. Rinko had forgotten completely about her supposed "manners" when around one of the five leaders, and had became demanding to know what Numeron is. Astral had already been scared to know why he turned into a flashlight for a minute, and became silent as he watched his friend summon a fireball.. What's worse that Eika had teleported herself and the others to the higher floor and had left Miharu behind to explain everything.

"Rinko-san! Don't hurt Miharu-sama!" Astral yelled out. Krebons had freaked out and hid behind Horus, while Horus hid behind Astral. Rinko's bracelet glowed brighter, as a giant fireball appeared on her palm, making Miharu freeze from the immediate violence.

"Don't expect me to help you without knowing what the hell's going on! I use **Hinotama!**" Rinko yelled, as the fireball produced more fireballs. Miharu grabbed something from his pocket; a green marble, as it turned into a glowing green dagger. Miharu held out the dagger in front of him defensively.

"Gah! Aegis! Protect us with **Chain Burst!**" Miharu yelled, as a barrier formed in front of him. Rinko's fireballs went straight to Miharu's barrier, which deflected it. Astral's eyes widened, and he jumped from his seat.

"Rinko! Stop!" Astral pleaded. "I don't want to get you executed for your ruthless behavior!"

"It's fine kid! I kinda understand her violence!" Miharu yelled, dodging abother fireball. "It's Eika's fault anyway! Why did she have to let me face the consequences for _her _actions?!"

Rinko immediately raised her hand, as her bracelet glowed brighter. "I'll break your barrier with **Fire Darts!**" Rinko said, extending her hand. Suddenly, small lights appeared on her sides, as she snapped her finger. The lights suddenly turned to little darts with fire on their tips. "I'm not the type of person that helps people out of pity!"

Before the darts could hit Miharu, a stronger and bigger barrier had formed in front of Miharu. "What the..?!" Miharu muttered.

Rinko turned and found Astral's arm glowing. His arm canon, Wave-Motion was around his right arm, and he closed his eyes fearfully. "I s-said stop, Rinko-san! We don't want to hurt Miharu-san, do we..?!" Astral yelled out. "S-She's just worried! She secretly feels crushed because of Takashi-san's and the other soldiers' deaths.. s-she's just being protective!"

Rinko's hand fell limp, as the darts disappeared. Astra's barrier also vanished, as Rinko looked up to Miharu with a bit of guilt. "S-Sorry.. I shouldn't have acted so recklessly. Astral's..right." She turned to Astral, who still had his arm cannon. "..Thanks."

Astral nodded slowly, and the arm canon turned back to it's normal form; a watch. "T-The barrier was called.. **Spirit Barrier. **It's a b-barrier that protects those who are found good at heart..Miharu doesn't plan anything against us!" Astral explained. He turned to Miharu once again. "N-Now.. what is Numeron, exactly?"

"And while you're at it, tell us what just happened?"

The three turned to the door and found two look-a-likes standing in front of the door. Miharu had realized they were the twins who were part of the replacement team. The older twin crossed her arms. "Geez.. first we see those two making a ruckus in the background while Ena-san is talking, and we find her attempting to kill a twelve-year-old?"

"For your information, I'm eighteen! I'm the just same height as Astral!" Miharu countered. His dagger had turned back to a marble, as he shoved it back in his pocket. "Now, I take it you are the Arclight twins, Sei and Selena?"

Sei nodded, and Selena waved to the two younger teens. Astral had hid behind Rinko out of shyness, while Rinko approached the two girls, and extended her hand. "So.. we'll be working together, as it seems. I'm Rinko Yutora." She said awkwardly, avoiding eye contact. Sei shook her hand suspiciously, while Selena shook it shyly.

Astral's hand extended behind Rinko, a shy expression across his face. "M-My name is Astral Mist. N-Nice to meet you.." He said softly. Sei, once again, shook his hand with caution, and this time, Selena shook it eagerly. Unlike Rinko, Astral seemed to be no threat at all!

Miharu had coughed to get their attention. "Now that introductions are out of the way, I am Miharu Futami, one of the five leaders." Miharu said. "Now, you are all here, and I was tasked by the other four to explain our current situation. So, please take a seat. Er.. Krebons and Horus can take a seat too.. I'll go get some tea and snacks, so stay still, okay?"

"Who..?" Selena asked curiously. She nearly jumped out of her skin once she saw the little dragon and the weird mini humanoid-android thing. "S-Spirit partners?"

"Horus is my spirit partner." Rinko explained. "He's extremely wary of strangers, but he won't bite. He just breathes blue flames." Rinko said casually.

_"That's reassuring, you little devil."_ Sei thought sarcastically. _"On the other hand.. this Astral-guy seems innocent."_

"What is that thing..?" Selena whispered to Astral, who looked at her confusingly.

"Huh? He's my spirit partner, naturally.." Astral said. "He's a bit of a meanie towards some people he doesn't know-"

"Bull." Rinko huffed. "He's known me for years now, and he still treats me like a candy wrapper across the street. He's a freaking mini-android-humanoid thing with a bit ego."

Krebons crossed his arms. "It's not my fault you are too short tempered! Hah! You don't even act like a lady in the slightest!"

Before Krebons saw it coming, a fireball had hit him in the face. The twins, plus Astral, found Rinko's finger pointing towards where Krebons was earlier. Miharu, who was taking out tea cups, and preparing tea had thought for a moment.

_"This is something to report to those four leaders. Rinko had managed to attack me earlier, without even using Salamandra! It's as if she can use magic naturally, without an aid of a weapon." _Miharu thought. _"It's either her or Astral who wields Numeron. Astral's emotions seem to release energy waves, and even cause him to become a temporary flashlight. Rinko's powers can activate, even without her weapon."_

Miharu sighed as he bought the tea to the teenagers. He was going to have to explain what was the current situation. Rinko and Astral were both suspects for wielding Numeron, and Sei and Selena were needed for another reason.. Huh, he might regret even accepting the position as one of the five leaders, but there is no way in hell will he regret telling what Numeron is to a bunch of kids.

"Um.. one thing." Miharu uttered. "Please.. Yutora-kun. If it's not too much.. can we let out Horus for awhile? Krebons can stay, but.. Horus needs to go outside for awhile." Miharu asked, staring at the little black dragon. Horus seemed to be confused, and let out a confused whine.

"Why?" Rinko asked, crossing her arms. "Horus is a tamed duel spirit. He won't attack anyone, unless I order him to. Or, if he sees me get attacked, he'll automatically back me up and attack, nevertheless."

"I have reasons. It's important.. so, please?" Miharu pleaded. "I'll explain to you later why once I explain what Numeron is. For now, just let Horus go outside for awhile." Miharu repeated. Astral and Krebons seemed to be confused, and so did Sei and Selena. Rinko seemed suspicious, but sighed.

Without another reply, Rinko opened the door and patted her knees. "C'mon Horus. Wait outside, okay?" She said. Horus seemed to have made a whine, but followed his master anyway. "I'll see you later, bud."

As Horus went outside and the door was shut, a glow emitted from the little dragon, shocking him. "K-Kyuu?"

* * *

><p><strong>-Black Star, Floor 1: Lobby-<strong>

The members of Black Star watched as Dark thrash around, with Ethan trying to stop him. Lunar was clinging onto Siri due to watching the black-haired boy attempt to kill himself with his magic. Akari and Mishka were worriedly watching him. Ethan tried his best to keep his glasses on his face, as he didn't want to break them again. It was enough trouble for one of the five leaders of Black Star to get him new pairs of glasses every time.

"Lemme go, Ethan! I murdered my friends!" Dark yelled. "I didn't want to kill them! I-It was an accident! They're my friends! _Astral's _friends!" He yelled repeatedly. Ethan clung to his waist, and attempted to stop him from using his magic to destroy the building. "I don't deserve to live!"

"C-Calm down, Dark!" Ethan replied. "Look, they're your friends from the past! We're enemies now, there's nothing we can do about it! They were White Moon soldiers, Dark! You can't see them as friends anymore, I'm sorry, but this is work, and we need to do it!"

Mishka turned to Akari, whose hand was covering her eyes, which were leaking. Mishka knew that Akari knew those soldiers, as they were her brother's friends. "They were good kids. That Tokunosuke kid was a bit creepy at first, but he's more sensitive than he looks. Takashi was a bit of a walking textbook, but he's got a kind heart. And then there's Tetsuo.. he's always been Yuma's childhood friend." Akari muttered, before walking away.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Hidenagi and Tairo. Earlier, when they heard that Dark and Ethan successfully got a number, they were planning to give him a little surprise party. But after finding out the soldiers were their friends, they instantly became quiet. Mishka didn't know what to do. Because, unlike Ethan, she didn't get that much of a chance to get to know Dark. She didn't even know who "Astral" was, and why that person meant so much to Dark.

She then noticed a teenage girl approaching Dark and Ethan, with a white-haired girl clinging onto her.

"Dark, stop!" Siri ordered. "Crying about it won't change the past, Dark! You're being selfish about this!" Siri yelled. "They're dead, nothing we can do about it! It was just an accident, you didn't know, and you were just doing your job, so get over it already! It was either grab the number and kill them, or hesitate to grab the number, and let White Moon do what they wish!"

There was a little silence, before Dark uttered out an "okay". Lunar sighed in relief, and approached Dark shyly.

"J-Just give it more time, okay? Wounds will heal eventually." Lunar said softly. To her surprise, Dark didn't lash out at her, but just simply nodded. Tairo and Hidenagi were seen making a little sad smile, before heading to the training room again. Mishka checked her watch briefly, before giving one last glance at her cousin and Dark.

_"See you later, Ethy, Daru-kun.."_

* * *

><p><strong>-Black Star, Floor 99: The Leader's Office-<strong>

The leader of the Black Star company, Don Thousand, sat as he watched today's events. He wasn't surprised that this "Dark" guy would thrash and flail around like a fish out of water once he found out that some White Moon soldier were his friends. He wasn't surprised either to know that one of his most faithful soldiers, Lunar, had managed to calm him down with just words.

"Mizael!" Don yelled. "I want you to give me files regarding.. Soldiers #5814 and 4111. While you're at it, give me Soldier #5307's file as well."

Mizael, a blond teen with a ponytail, turned to him, carrying some files. Even though he was one of the five leaders, he preferred to do tasks on his own. He groaned, and pulled out three different colored folders; a purple, black, and gray folders. "I have no idea why you're so fascinated with them. I mean seriously, it's like this in a nutshell: You recite random soldier numbers every day, then you read their files!."

"Aristtea!" Don yelled, ignoring Mizael. "Can you get me some tea? Oh, and maybe a dragon-shaped pastry for Miza-chan too?" He smirked, watching Mizael's reactions.

In seconds, a young girl came inside the room, carrying trays, while walking gracefully. "Your tea, Lord Thousand." She turned to Mizael, and gave him his food. "Your desert, Sir Mizar." She said politely, as she left the room. "If you require anything else to go with your snacks, please do not hesitate to call me."

Mizael took a bite off his cake. "She's really responsible for a twelve-year-old. What's her actual name again? Aristtea.."

"Hance." Don finished, sipping his tea as he scanned over the files. "She's the youngest hunter, and her weapon is a necklace that turns into a whip. Her deck focuses on the attribute 'FIRE', see."

"Kinda reminds me of that incident a few months ago.." Mizael uttered. Don looked at him curiously.

"Pardon?"

"Well.. White Moon has a lot of soldiers like us, right? Well.. they also have a soldier, that can use fire-related abilities, and her weapon seems to be a blue sword. Despite us not knowing anything about the members of the White Moon, she's rarely out for a hunt, as if they're afraid of sending her to do a mission. The mission a few months ago, was to retrieve two numbers, which were Number 24: Pyra, the Flame Goddess, and Number 18: Diablo, the Ruler of Nightmares. Semimaru, Kurage, and Kaninja were sent to retrieve those numbers, while White Moon had sent that girl, an older blonde who looked like Tairo, and a red-haired guy."

_"Tairo-look-a-like? That spider-haired child who can barely ride a duel runner?" _Don thought to himself. _"Huh, he did mention once that he has an older named Taimi.. he also states that she is in White Moon, so chances are high that it's probably her.."_

"Semimaru dueled the fire user, Kurage dueled the Tairo-look-a-like, and Kaninja dueled the red-haired guy. The blondie seemed to focus on defense, while the red-haired focused on ruining his opponent's defenses.. the youngest, the fire user.. was downright reckless. Her cards were focused on dealing effect damage to her opponent, and occasionally, herself."

"Sounds interesting." Don chuckled. "Guess she is devoted to her team."

"Her companions repeatedly called out for her to see if she was fine, which she replied with a glare, as we heard. Apparently, she's stubborn, and is a tomboy. She won against Semimaru, along with her two companions. Still changes nothing of that girl being reckless as hell."

"Hm. It would be nice if there were a lot more people taking risks for the prize, right? Did you happen to get a name or anything?" Don asked. "We might have some info on that girl. After all, we kinda stole hospital records during the day of the kidnapping." Don said casually, giggling on the last sentence. Stealing was fun for him, and watching everyone's horror filled faces that day was simply amusing.

Mizael huffed. "You really are a bastard.. Ugh, and as for the name.. Kurage said it was "Rinko", since her friends kept calling her that whenever she got hurt. I have to admit, it kinda doesn't fit her, since it sounds like a name you'd give to an actual woman.. that girl is practically a guy trapped within a girl's body. Plus she's more of a brat."

"Interesting." Don commented. "Good thing we have hospital files, huh? Just search for the name 'Rinko'."

"Got it already, since I figured you'd be interested." Mizael said, pulling out another folder. He handed it to Don, who read through the info silently. His eyes widened as he saw the name, and immediately pulled Mizael's ponytail, causing the latter to wince. "You bastard, that hurt! Ow!"

"Look. At. Her. Full. Name." Don pointed. "Pyra? It's like a bit of a similarity with Ethan's second name, Ceres. And look. Two last names. Both are Mikoron and Yutora. Just like Ethan's." Don added. "Plus, Ethan has a bit of a memory problem regarding his past. All he remembers is he was on a boat accident, and he lost both of his parents, plus his sister. It's possible that this lady is her."

"Pfft. Lady? She's a beast." Mizael replied. "And there is a chance you're right. However. It's early too assume everything, and I think it's best if we don't tell anything to him and his cousin, Mishka. Hell, we saw how that Mist kid acted when he found out that those White Moon soldiers were his friends. I'm pretty sure that Ethan hides a hellotta negativity inside him."

* * *

><p><strong>-White Moon, Floor 1: Lobby-<strong>

"C'mon, c'mon.." A young woman uttered, staring at the picture of the young Arclight Twins, Sei and Selena. "What's taking them so long?! Argh, I swear, Michael! If you haven't told the leaders about that stupid power yet, Sei-chan and Selena-chan wouldn't have gotten involved!"

"Ugh..who are you and who're you talking to, ma'am?" Asked a gray-haired boy. The young woman looked at him, and saw how the obviously younger boy. He was pale, had gray hair, two black hairclips, a gray shirt, a black hoodie, purple eyes, and black glasses. "And why're you talking to no one in particular?"

"Gah! You scared me!" She shrieked, before adjusting herself. "Ugh, never mind! Who're you?"

The boy blinked, before chuckling. "I believe I asked first, ma'am." He said, adjusting his glasses, and sitting on the bench beside her. The young woman let out a huff, before fixing her hair and uniform.

"Touché, little gray haired boy. My name is Layla Arclight." She said. "And as for your other question, I was talking to no one." She said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "People do that a lot, y'know?"

The gray-haired tilted his head. "Really? I thought my mistress was the only one that does that!"

Layla snorted. "Mistress? Wow, that's a grand name to call your girlfriend!" She said. "And you look like that young duel trainer.. Alan Mako, was it? Yeah, you look like him! I heard he has a twin, but his twin also has dark green eyes, and two purple feathers on his gray hair. You look a bit like 'im, except your eyes are purple, and you wear glasses and a hoodie." Layla explained. "And I think you've heard of Sei and Selena Arclight?"

The gray-haired nodded. "As a matter of fact, me, my mistress, and her friends met them today! They were just recently announced to join the main team, since.. well, the three soldiers recently died and all."

"Those two are my nieces." Layla said. "Michael Arclight, one of the scientists, is my cousin. Michael's eldest brother, Chris, is Sei and Selena's dad. Their mom is at another country, and can't come back, due to the current situation here at Heartland." Layla added. "Their mom is a really nice lady. A bit of a Tsundere, but kind, you know? The middle child of of the family is Michael's older brother and Chris' younger brother. His name is Thomas, and he's kind of like a maniac."

Before Layla could share anymore stories, the gray-haired suddenly gasped, and gripped his chest, grunting as he was in pain. Layla noticed, and immediately became worried. "What's wrong?!"

"N-Nothing! This probably means I better return to my mistress now!" He gasped, standing up. Layla grabbed his arm.

"So you and your girlfriend know when you need each other?" Layla asked, eyebrow raised. The gray-haired laughed weakly, before coughing and pulling his arm away from the confused lady.

"N-No. She's not my girlfriend, she's my mistress! I live to serve her, since she summoned me to this world." He coughed. Layla became more confused, and tilted her head. "W-What I mean is.. actually, I'll tell you some other time! See you later, Layla-san!"

"Wait! I still don't know what your name is!"

He turned to Layla one last time, and the other noticed how his purple eyes seemed to slowly.. change? It was turning a darker shade of purple! His hair had become more solid-looking, and his skin was turning a bit scaly. "..Horus. My mistress calls me Horus." He said, before dashing to the elevator, leaving Layla more confused than ever, as the photo she had been gripping crumple.

* * *

><p><strong>Me: Oh look. There's a gray-haired OC who has the same name as Rinko's ace, Horus the Black Flame Dragon. So, Layla belongs to Lee-Lee2306, and Aristtea belongs to Ariette5. Currently, Arristtea is the youngest character who has been shown in the story, as she is 12 years old.<strong>

**Rinko: In case some of you don't know, Alan has made a cameo in "Black and White", in Vector's flashback, along with his siblings, Murasaki and Yoshi. Aorin decided to bring them back as actual characters. As for Mia Caris and Mika Inumi.. I'm sad to say that Mia won't be appearing, and I'm happy to say that Mika won't be appearing.**

**Tairo: Next Chapter; The main team of both White Moon and Black Star get sent out on a hunt! But Rinko, Sei, and Selena discover something about Astral and Rinko's spirit partner, Horus.**

**Review if ya like!~ **


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